Space Awareness
How To Travel On Earth Without Getting Lost
Have you ever wanted to travel the world? Take a virtual trip with a geography lesson that uses longitude and latitude, the position of the sun, an astronomy app, and a classroom globe.
Curated OER
Map Your School
Learners participate in a project to map their school. They measure and graph various areas around the school. Students find the longitude and latitude of the school and research the school's history, and highlight special important areas.
Curated OER
The Crash Scene
Fifth graders explore geography by participating in a mapping activity. In this engineering instructional activity, 5th graders identify the differences between latitude and longitude and practice locating precise points on a globe or...
Curated OER
Shadows and Skyscrapers
Eighth graders explain the relationship between the position of the sun, a city's latitude and shadow length. Ratio's, geometry, and algebra are used to determine the shadow lengths and building heights. A sun angle (altitude) charts to...
Curated OER
Journey to Gettysburg
Students use latitude and longitude to map the path of the Battle of Gettysburg.
NASA
Earth’s Energy Budget
Take the time and energy learn about Earth's energy budget. An engaging unit of four lessons focuses on the components that make up Earth's energy budget. Future scientists come up with a formula for the energy budget, then use software...
Curated OER
You Can Find It!
Students locate different places including U.S. cities using longitude and latitude coordinates. In this longitude and latitude lesson plan, students locate 10 different locations.
Curated OER
And a Star to Steer Her By: A Field Trip Guide for the Planetarium Show
In this field trip study guide for the planetarium show lesson, young scholars construct a model of the Earth and describe the relative positions of the continents using latitude and longitude. Students construct a star chart to find...
Radford University
Trouble in the Orchard
It's no fun catching a fungus. Scholars first investigate how the seasons affect the angle of the sun and the lengths of shadows. They then apply right triangle trigonometry to determine the height of trees based on their shadows to...
Curated OER
The Pilgrims
Students use distance measuring tools to follow directions and chart the path the pilgrims made from Plymouth, England to Boston, Massachusetts. For this Pilgrim voyage lesson, students use a map to chart the distance traveled by the...
US Mint
Absolutely and Relatively: The Puerto Rico Quarter Reverse
How much does your class know about Puerto RIco? How much can they learn from the back of a 2009 quarter? Use the coin, part of a series of quarters that depict US territories, to teach learners about the geography, culture, and history...
Curated OER
Basic Mapping Skills
Establish and study the parts of a map with your class and, then they will work in small groups to create their own detailed map, including a legend. There are specific instructions to follow on what needs to be included.
Curated OER
Making a Map of the Classroom
Students create a map of the classroom using the computer programs AppleWorks and iChat in this math-based technology lesson. Lesson extension ideas include a scavenger hunt and maps of other school buildings.
Curated OER
GPS Treasure Hunt for Knowledge
Students examine themselves as being part of a global community. In this global community lesson, students investigate GPS systems. Students gain knowledge on how the device works. Students discover that satellites provide information...
Curated OER
How High Is That?
Students explore the National Spatial Reference System. In this vertical position lesson, students will discuss the use of vertical position data and solve practical problems involving geographic positioning.
Curated OER
Make Your Own "Weather" Map
Pupils create their own "weather" map using data from x-ray sources. They analyze and discuss why it is important to organize data in a fashion in which is easy to read. They compare and contrast different x-ray sources using a stellar map.
Curated OER
Projects For USA Units
Young scholars study different regions of the United states through interdisciplinary activities. This lesson presents very creative, artistic ways for students to explore the variety of regions found in the United States.